Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-08-20
BURNED AT SEA.
1HE STEAMSHIP CITY OF MONTREAL
DESTROYED IN MID.ocEAH.
Passengers and Crew Rescued By the
Steamer York City-Ihirteen Fec
pie Missing Scenes Of Panic.
Inr teleeraph TO the nI.pAich.l


on the night Of the lCth when in
latitude As north. She had on
heard as souls, passengers and
crew. She had 40 cabin passengers,
hut carried 113 intermediate and 10
si,Gaoc passengers, and had a crew OF
aolty men. be- Eritish-sioamer City
Of Yorl.. Which left Baltimore on the
9Th instant. rcscued thc passengers and
crew iror. the burning. ship, with the
exception az six passengers ana seven
uD.b,r. az the crew. who had taken to
e loa'. and they are now reported as
missing.
sCrSH or CONSERVATION.
1t is learned that shortly after the
rassoMccrs had gone 10 bed the night
az the 10th they were aroused 10y an
alarm OF fire. 4 scene of cOusternGlon
orsucd. aud the passengers were greatly
terrified when they found ont the true
state Of affairs. The smoke caused by
the fire WAS suffocating. The pas
scugors dressed and got on deck as
quickly as possible.
WHERE gUE IIBE ORIGINATED.
The fire originated in cotton stored
in the after manifold. Nine streams
of water were soon working on the
nam,s, and the course OF the vessel
was shaped toward New Foundland, 100
miles distant. The flames spread with
great rapiiity and soon burst with ter
rife force through the midway and
after catches, the heat being intense.
II becoming evident that it was. impos-
sible 60 save the ship T. momcntlry
panic CueDCd.
rNu;RsING TIE PASSENGERS ~ EoAT5.
The boats were eight in number, and
consisted of four life boats and four
piunaces. These were launched AMI
stocked with provisions. The flames
spread with great iiercencss, and efforts
10 Qucuch them were futile. At y
o'clock IN the morning the passengers
were marshalcd Oh deck preparatory
10 entering the boats. Many of them
were weeping. but on the whole they
were quiet and orderly. There was a
heavy sea running. and it WAS with
great difficulty that tho boats were kept
from being smashed. The crew worked
sDlcndidly, and all the passengers were
placed IN the boats in comparatively
fhoit timO. How the boats floated
with their heavy loads Is II miracle.
As the last boat was putting OF from
the ship several of the passengers and
crew were seen aft. They had been
overlooked. and were screaming 10 the
GOATS 10 return. They were subse-
ourut,y bmy ~ rescued hell deadirom
de Effects 81 the smoke and heat.
one BOAT-LOAD LOST.
The loats soon scattered, and ono
or.:r.lv vanished. This contained six
e. a., crow and seven passengers. aud
q lc is iut little doubt that the whole
lo.tload p.rr-acd The boat did not
6oni.in fni. crew. ani left the steamer
rcniust the captains orders, as there
was time 10 take many more IN 1t. a
lark was sighted soon after the boats
left thc Steamer. and her crew were
preparing to pick up the survivors
when the steamer York City, attracted
Nv tic flames from the burning vessel,
which were shooting upa hundred feet
in the mir. bore down, and with dit-
6culiy took All hands Oh board. The
rescued people were treated with tue
u;mos Kindness, and the passengers
speak with much feeling Of the con-
sideration which was accorded them.
TIE RESCUED PAsSENGrRS LANDED.
The York City proceeded to London
after landing the City Of Montreals
paescngcrs and crew at Queenstown.
The survivors sre unanimous IN de
C.r;Lg that the officers and crew of the
CITY OF Montreal did their duty nobiy
and skilmliy. The crew numbered
ciulty-tiNc men, all TOLD.
The company estimates the value OF
tie vessel at between SiOo,p0J and
100000 fully insured i'll foreign com
paIics.
TIT CAITArN's STATEMENT.
QUEEN TOWN, August -. Captain
Land commander of the City OF
Montreal. makes the following report:
On the 10th instant the wind WAS
moth t. uUthw,stcIly About 9o'clock
Of the evening of that day fire Was dis
covered iu the aitcr-holi among the
cotton. The iirc-hoses were at once COZ
ncctoda,d streams % water were poured
downupouthcfamcs. Annlhllators and
hnud.ereuadc fire-cXtingulshor were
freely used. The fire, however, over
came MI efforts to suppress 1t and
spread over the upper and lower decks.
The ship Was doomed from the begin
nino Of the ire, aud the boats had been
actively prepared and proyisioned. At
e O'Clock on the morning of the llth
instant the flames bust through tho
niter.LGtches. The boats were then
lowered There was IL high sea at the
tine and this caused much dill
Guilty. The women and children
were first put aboard the boats
and thc male passengers and crew
we've embarked afterwards. Lack
Of tine prevented the manning OF the
beats with their respective crews, tue
men being compelled to continue until
lie last moment the work OF keeping
NC famcs down. All the boats left the
ship safely, but 10y unfortunate over
scit twenty people were left aboaid
The burning vessel. Boat No. B re-
!urned and took OF six OF the number.
Boat No. ., with the fourth officer, took
of six more. 4 bark was then re-
ported approaching. AMI when all the
boats bad pat their people aboard her
they returned and took oil those
remaining on the burning steamer.
Il was found that Boat No. s was miss
ing. She was seen to put herself before
the wind when she left the ship, using
her oars IN support of the sails. She
ran away fron the weasel in direct DISC
Iodiencc to the captains orders.
Everybody spent the night aboard
the German bark Traban, Captain
Schcol. from Charleston, July oath, for
London, and all were then transferred
to tie York City, which stayed by
Throughout the night and vainly
searched for the missing boat.
nCrEs ron THE SAFETY OF THs MISS
ING BOAT.
Ca1tain Land saws he is sanguine
that the people in Boat No. 8 were
,ayed. as the accident occurred in the
track OF steamers bound east and west.
The passengers, he adds, were cool and
1hod,c,.t during the crisis, and the